I like answering these questions by solving simpler ones.<p><pre><code> Does it matter where you are born?
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> Afghanistan vs. United States.<p>Put you in Afghanistan and you're dead. Put you in the US and you have a shot at middle class. Both are not your fault - and neither are deserved (I hate that word).<p><pre><code> Does it matter who you are born to?
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> Rich parents vs. Poor parents.<p>One can pay for all you need, and support you in every way to best game the system (which is completely rational and understandable behaviour). The other gets screwed by the self same game. Both generally through no fault of their own - no one deserves anything.<p><pre><code> Does it matter when you are born?
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> 1900s vs. 2000s.<p>One situation gives you cholera. The other gives you an iPhone, good health, decent lifespan and an education. Neither was deserved - both greatly effect future outcomes.<p>Of course it matters where you went to college. It matters more than you think it does, and even more than you now think it does. The world is not a meritocracy - never has been - never will be. Fun fact - meritocracy was coined in a satire since it was so ridiculously false. Unfortunately, people like believing things that are false - it is one of our strengths as humans (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just-world_hypothesis</a>). Karma is bullshit masquerading as depth and is merely a result of faulty (but useful) logic generated by induction machines that we call the brain.<p>Why do we use QWERTY keyboards? Because some random guy made a couple thousand typewriters that didn't stick mechanically 70 years ago. What does that have to do with modern computers? Absolutely nothing.<p>The world is chaotic, and exhibits extreme path dependence in path outcomes, which of themselves, are extremely uncertain.<p>What would've happened if the comet that killed the dinosaurs missed? What about not having a snowball earth to generate all the oxygen you breath right at this moment?
The importance of people by the people is greatly overrated.<p>Everyone is replaceable (even if you are 1 in a million - and nowadays even 1 in a billion), but situations aren't.<p>Situations are king, path dependence and chaos rule your life and there is a lot of poor reasoning out there. That doesn't mean you have no effect on future outcomes - it just means you have a lot less control than you think you do.
College doesn't fucking matter in any way, shape, or form in the context of reality and actually doing good, productive things. Nor do people who base hires / who they like on where those people went to college.